The longer I am here at BC (Fall 2010 was my first quarter), the more I come to notice a very peculiar phenomenon.
Not getting at anything racist, but have you ever noticed how most international students, abundantly Asians, are always so put together in their school outfits on a daily basis? You can totally tell they didn’t whip up their looks last minute, and you just can’t help but admire the efforts they’ve put into maintaining their appearances.
The weird thing is, and trust me, I know, that a considerable amount (if not all) of influence over their fashion style actually comes from the United States and Europe.
Take the Japanese, for example. Get your hands on a copy of Japanese fashion magazine and flip through it. I promise that you will find at least 10 different American or European celebrities in every issue. If you have ever done that, you may also realize and be amazed at how many looks these magazines can inspire out of a single snap shot of Ashley Olsen grabbing Starbucks. (10 to 20 that is)
Even the editor at large of Vogue Nippon, Anna Dello Russo, is Italian. Considering how highly we regard the Japanese when it comes to fashion, isn’ it strange to learn that they are really just getting inspiration out of some low self-esteem folks called the Americans?
You are certainly not alone. Even fashion powerhouses like Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel create capsule collections inspired by exotic locations like Shanghai. It’s funny to see how many sought after American and European fashion designers are drawing inspiration from these up-and-coming fashion capitals, while the counter is in fact doing the same thing synchronously.
It’s not that we don’t have nice stylish people here, it’s just that only a few dare to show their tastes. If everyone starts to let their own perspective show and don’t mind being judged, who knows, we may have a Bryanboy (fashion blogger; for more, refer to the previous issue) from Bellevue.